Ahem… now then… A word to my reviewers, and I hope you all like the next part!
Amy Rose – Yeah, the blackout sux… or sucked… meh. Scipio was fine, I'll tell him there are some decent snake-loving people out there who care : ) As for wanting to be a vet, great! Go you! I used to want to be a vet too!
Bookofdays – QUIET YOU! (heh heh don't worry, you'll find out soon enough!)
Alicorn - What better to dip our sexy Sevvie-poo in than dark chocolate! Scipio's good… he just shed again last week… and his birthday was Sep. 9th Yay! He's one now… and he's getting to be a big baby… LOL And YES I want a raptor! You can get me a white-phase gyrfalcon for my birthday… Feb 24th by the way… ; ) heh heh… I like falconer's gloves too… I was at a falconer's farm once and we were flying raptors for the day so I held a red tailed hawk and a golden eagle. SO MUCH FUN! Okay I'll be good now… What lunch do you have second semester? Maybe I'll see you! Chapter Ten: Shotgun Down the AvalancheI'm riding shotgun down the avalanche
Tumbling and falling down the avalanche
I love you so much and it's so bizarre
A mystery that goes on and on and on
This is the best thing and the very most hard
And we don't get along
After countless appeals we keep spinning our wheels
On this mountain of new fallen snow
So I let go the catch and we are over the edge
You have left me nowhere to go
Riding Shotgun Down the Avalanche – Shawn Colvin
Needless to say, events at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had become greatly glorified in the wake of the 'Demon Incident' as the students were now referring it to, along with their teachers, who had reluctantly adopted the term. As only Professors McGonagall and Snape, as well as Headmaster Dumbledore, had known about Professor Seraph's true nature, it seemed that now everyone knew, or thought they did, for there was talk of it in every hallway, and every common room throughout the school. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were trying to spread the truth quickly, before it could be drowned out by rumors, lies, and misconceptions, and an extremely informal staff meeting was held in order to correct the views and false information that any teachers may have been circulating.
When the talk spread at the table, of Mavet's being an Angel, the former Professor Trelawney said, in her most misty voice, "Ah! At last! The spiritual visitor we have been awaiting has arrived! The Fates were all too inclined to tell me last week."
To which Mavet replied, arms crossed, with an air of stoicism, "The Fates are rather obnoxious and thoroughly sadistic beings, and I deeply regret the day that they accurately notify the living of my activities."
Minerva and Severus shared a smirk at this; neither of them had any sort of sympathy or wishes of well being for the fraudulent Sybil who had returned to Hogwarts in desperation, taking up residence, at the generous offer of its Headmaster.
They were somewhat surprised, however, when Firenze decidedly spoke up. "There have been a series of rather odd clairvoyant messages in the stars lately. Now that we are finally notified of your presence, milady, the patterns that I have seen appear to fit together rather well."
Mavet's expression darkened and she turned her head away at this. "The Fates and I have a rather… problematic… existence. It would surprise me greatly if they in any way alluded to my presence here, being of the nature that it is… They usually only foretell deaths in and of themselves, not the whereabouts of Death." She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, long-nailed finger to her mouth. Then she faced the centaur again, clearly not intimidated of him whatsoever. "If I were to tell you that Lucifer also had a hand in this affair, would your readings still coincide?"
Firenze thought about this, and then nodded, hesitantly.
"I thought so," Mavet replied, grimly. "My presence and that of Lucifer's often read very similarly. However, the Maiden, foreteller of the future, tends to favor Lucifer among us immortals. Apparently she finds his rebellious nature amusing and often shifts the odds in his favor for the simple reason that he so often works against me."
Finally having put to rest the strange predictions of both parties, Mavet ended the staff meeting by saying that she could not divulge much more than she had already done, with the exception of Severus, who, as her agent, was now privy to the Angel's suspicions on many subjects, including the reasons behind the Demon's attack.
They were quietly discussing the subject, one evening in Mavet's classroom, only to be interrupted not long into their musings.
"… she has never been one to rely solely on petty rivalries…" Mavet was saying. "No, there is some deeper source to all this unpleasantness…"
"Then why would she bother to alluding to Lucifer's presence in the first place?" Severus wondered. "His plans would be more likely to succeed the longer they went unnoticed, don't you think?"
"Yes," Mavet agreed. "But Firenze hadn't thought of Lucifer in the first place, did he? He was first to assume that mine was the only ethereal presence involved in these dealings at all. The Maiden is well aware that Lucifer's presence is often mistaken for mine. She probably decided that if people were bothering about me, they wouldn't think to look deeper for Lucifer."
Just then, there was an almighty bang, and a ball of fire erupted from Mavet's in-classroom fireplace. Both teachers quickly stood, Severus reaching for his wand, Mavet drawing her sword.
"Who is it?" Mavet called imperiously into the flames.
"Just us, Mistress…" called a squeaky, high-pitched voice, which Severus compared closely to the voice of a parrot.
"Yes, only us…" came a second, identical voice.
There was an audible cough, and when the flames dissipated, two russet forms appeared, claws scrabbling on the stone floor. The small, rust-red forms belonged to two small dragons, each the size of a housecat, their tails wagging excitedly behind them. Their necks were long and snake-like, their jaws a reptilian version of a raptor's beak. They had a pair of thin, leathery wings, with three claws at the joint, which doubled as forearms. The first one leapt elegantly up to one of the tables, at which Severus and Mavet were currently seated. The second ambled slowly along on the floor, it's elbows bent out, and wings swept back, claws acting as front limbs in much the same way Severus chose to walk when he assumed the form of a bat.
"Severus, meet Phobos and Deimos, two of my underlings."
"A human!" cried Phobos in surprise (or was it Deimos? Severus couldn't tell) as he finally leapt up, perching on the edge of the table beside his twin. "What business have ye with our mistress, human?"
Mavet raised a calming hand, as Severus scowled at the little red dragon. "Severus has become my Lieutenant, Phobos, and must be treated as such." There was a hint of chastisement in her voice.
"Apologies, Mistress," sniffed the creature, as it hung it's reptilian head, and blinked it's yellow eyes.
"Mistress, and Sir," corrected Deimos.
"Well?" asked Mavet, when neither dragon made any further action. "What news do you bring?"
"Ah! Yes, we bring news, Mistress!" said Deimos, snapping back to his duties.
"News from the above!" agreed Phobos, excitedly.
"Yes, what news is this?" Mavet inquired as she leant her head upon her palm.
"News from Heaven, Milady," continued Deimos. "The Bright One has declared a state of critical hostility amongst the higher ethereal regions. He has sanctioned that any being that leaves the Upper Kingdom will be considered either neutral or unfriendly to the throne in the coming times, and will be denied entry henceforth until these matters are resolved." He grinned proudly, having done his job, and done it well, or so he thought.
"WHAT?" Mavet cried in shock and disbelief, startling both Severus, and the two messengers before her, as she angrily leapt to her feet in outrage. "So they've locked me out? They can't do that! They need my help! I need to speak to the High Council!"
"No, Mistress…" Phobos began tentatively. "You have not been locked out. The declaration was made after you left. If you return to Heaven and then leave again, the sanction will stand, but as of now, your name is still clear."
Mavet calmed down somewhat, but she was still tense with these new developments. She moved to the nearest aisle and began to pace up and down it, head lowered in thought. "I need to speak to the Council…" she muttered, making the mental beginnings of a 'To Do List'.
"Won't you also need to question the Fates, Mistress?" asked Deimos, earnestly.
"More like interrogate…" Mavet corrected.
Severus perked up at the thought. He had been exceedingly good at interrogation; the Dark Lord had often used him for such matters during his service. And Dumbledore had always paid close attention to his intuition.
"Then I will have to go see Naga—"
"Not Naga!" protested Phobos, who was joined, moments later by his brother.
"Naga is horrible!"
"Horrible, indeed! And terrible, and deceptive and scheming, and untrustworthy, and conniving—"
"And wicked, and wretched, and sacrilegious, and improper, and blasphemous!" But Deimos suddenly fell quiet. The two little dragons looked at each other and then back at their mistress, uncomfortable, as if they had said something wrong.
"My, my, you two sure have developed quite the vocabulary in my absence." She peered suspiciously at the pair of them. "You've been spending too much time around Mephistopheles, haven't you?"
"Yes, Mistress…" they both said shamefully with their heads bowed.
"Why do you need to speak to your council?" Severus asked. "What can they do that you cannot?"
"I need to clear up some of this confusion, and they can grant me more power than I currently have. That's something I need to clear up with the Fates as well." She sighed unhappily. "I need help."
Severus looked at her, astonished. "Help with what?" He was confused, to say the least. Here was the most powerful being he had either heard of or met, thus far, and not only did she just recruit him to her cause, but she also seemed to think that she needed further assistance than that.
"In case you haven't forgotten, my love, Lucifer not only has a very powerful sorcerer at his side who is capable of wielding the Black Blade of Death, but he has anywhere from fifty to seventy Death Eaters, all capable wizards well-versed in the dark arts, and by now, he probably has an army of nearly a hundred Demons. I may be an Angel, but so is he, and even if you were as strong as a fully-fledged Halfling, the two of us would not be able to tackle them alone. Not even with the combined help of Albus's followers, could we do this. I need to be granted permission to act – act as I have not done for thousands of years." The last part was said with a mix of regret, and nostalgic awe. She looked away and stared into space for a moment, until she was dragged out of her reverie by the twin dragons, still perched on the table.
"Mistress will be needing help from other Seraphim, yes?" asked Deimos. Severus was beginning to notice that he was the more intuitive of the pair. Phobos was the impulsive one, and simply liked to have fun.
"Yes…" Her finger snapped up to her lip in thought again. "How has Ariel been lately?" she asked slowly.
The dragons looked at each other, then back at their mistress, and shrugged together. "Ariel is…"
"Ariel," they said, again finishing each other's thoughts.
Severus suddenly glanced at the clock on the classroom wall and noticed that it was later than he'd thought. Truthfully, he'd quite like to stay and delve deeper into the mysterious ethereal happenings that Mavet's two reptilian minions spoke of, (he even thought he was beginning to figure some of them out) but he had a class to teach in fifteen minutes, and he still had to organize ingredients. "I should go," he began calmly, rising from his seat. "I have a class to teach and so do you, if I'm not mistaken. We can finish this later."
Mavet nodded, and took a seat behind her desk as Severus stalked off down the hall. Soon, the stampeding footsteps of students could be heard coming to a crescendo and then ceasing just outside the Defense classroom. "You two can stay here, I assume, since I can think of no better purpose for you at the moment. Just no talking."
"Yes, Mistress," the two reptiles hissed simultaneously.
"Come in, please!" she called to her students, just past the door. This was the first class she'd had with the sixth-year Gryffindors after the demon incident.
Slightly confused, the students entered and sat down at their seats, Phobos and Deimos scampering over to Mavet's desk as the students approached them, somewhat hesitantly.
Mavet stepped out from behind her massive desk, preferring, instead, to lean against it, facing her class. Phobos, no doubt trying to draw more attention to himself, hopped up onto her shoulder, while Deimos preferred, instead, to curl up happily beside her inkwell. "I suspect most of you are wondering why I called you in here today, rather than have you meet me at the Weaponry." She was met by much nodding and curious faces from her students. "I know that last week's events have been rather… confusing… and I confess that I have been keeping certain things from the student body as well as from some of my fellow staff members. The information that has been traveling around the school is riddled with holes and misconceptions, and I am here to set them straight. What I have been doing with my classes henceforth is something akin to a question and answer session. I will try to answer most of your questions as best as I can, and hopefully this will put an end to the false information that has been terrorizing the halls of this school." She scanned the rows of unblinking children, apparently waiting for a question. She didn't see one. "Perhaps I should start…" she decided with a sigh. "As most of you have doubtless already figured out, I am not human. I am not a witch or wizard of any kind."
"What are you, then?" asked a very forward Dean Thomas, who cringed, a moment later, at his abruptness.
"I was just getting to that, Mr. Thomas," Professor Seraph replied with a kind smile. "Most humans I have met seem not to take this very well… however… as to what I am, I am an Angel; a messenger and special correspondent of Heaven."
Most of the students stared blankly back at her. This was how it had been mostly with the older students. The younger ones would look at her with awe, but the ones who were older… the ones who had stopped believing in children's stories… they looked at her like she was mad. That was the same look she was currently getting from the Gryffindor sixth-years. Everyone except Harry, Ron and Hermione. Mavet chuckled at their reactions. "I'm not that kind of Angel," she laughed. "Nothing at all like those solemn little figures that you characterize us as… the ones clad in white with the little white wings."
"But you do have wings," Dean protested. "We've seen them."
Professor Seraph nodded, and her wings emerged suddenly from her back, spreading to their fullest extent, easily stretching the length of the classroom. Then she folded them, the leading joint arching high above her head, the longest feather brushing the floor. At that, Phobos jumped to the floor, and then back up to the desk to join his twin.
"But then why aren't your wings white like most Angels?" asked Lavender Brown.
"Why aren't your eyebrows blonde?" countered Mavet with a grin.
"Because my hair is brown," Lavender replied with utter simplicity.
"Well, my hair is black, and so are my wings," the Angel finalized. "And there are very few Angels who have white wings," she added.
Parvati Patil raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Patil?"
"Well," Parvati began, just as tentatively as hr classmates. "I was wondering… was that thing you fought last week really a Demon?"
Mavet fixed her with a suspicious look; she seemed to be sizing Parvati up, determining whether or not she deserved to hear the answer. "Yes," she said finally, "it was a Demon, summoned here for one reason or other."
"Do you know who summoned it?" Harry asked, fixing Mavet with his most pointed look. He was going to try to get the most out of the Angel, if he could, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity; dodging an answer in front of the rest of the class would seem overly suspicious.
"I have my suspicions," she said, fixing him with just as pointed a gaze. Her tone implied that he knew exactly who she thought had summoned the Demon, and that he should stop trying to be smart. "But we are not here to talk of Demons, and whatnot; I simply wanted to assure you that you have nothing to fear from me. I wanted to tell you the truth." She looked around at the class. "If no one has anything further that they'd like to ask me, then I would like to continue with a little quiz." Groans and moans echoed around the classroom, as the stack of papers magically delivered themselves from the professor's desk to the student's, but Mavet simply grinned as she sat down at her desk, scratching away on a piece of parchment, with a long black quill that happened to be one of her own.
That evening, professor Dumbledore scheduled a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, up in the boardroom that professors Seraph and Snape hadn't been aware of. It was a large room, situated in the upper observatory, just off of Professor Dumbledore's office. The room was obviously a squared off portion of what was otherwise a round, spherical attachment, and the large, rounded outside wall was nothing more than a large window, riddled with steel braces. A long, oval table was situated lengthwise in the middle of the room, deep mahogany, with room to seat at least thirty people.
Severus was already seated when Mavet arrived, around 10:15, on the left side of Albus Dumbledore, who sat at the table's head. McGonagall was to his right, and Remus Lupin, who sat two seats to Severus's right. The seat directly beside him was empty; evidently, he'd been saving her a seat.
"My apologies, Albus," she said, as she swept in and seated herself gracefully between Snape and Lupin. "I tried to readjust the time of my departure, but I'm afraid it will have to take place before the Christmas holidays; this is a very fragile matter, and one which requires a great deal of delicacy. The sooner I respond, the kinder the hosts of heaven are likely to be."
Phobos and Deimos rode parrot-like on her shoulders, Deimos jumping to Severus as his mistress lowered herself.
"May I introduce Mavet Seraph, our resident Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Angelic ambassador of Heaven," said Dumbledore, announcing her to the rest of the group. Of these, Severus noted that Alastor Moody, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Tonks were also present. "Professor Seraph," Dumbledore prompted again. "Might we inquire as to what this little sabbatical of yours entails? I'm still not sure that I grasp all of the details."
"Certainly, Albus." At that, Mavet shifted in her seat and addressed the Order. "There have been certain developments in Heaven since I was last present, some of which prove problematic in my dealings with the mortal problem of Voldemort." There was a collective shudder and murmuring at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "Voldemort is no longer acting alone. He has joined forces with a rather formidable enemy. The dark Prince, Lucifer is now empowering Voldemort with his power and his forces. Quite frankly, no mortal will be safe unless drastic measures are taken to ensure that Hell is not allowed to, well… freeze over."
"What is being done in Heaven to counteract the progression of the Dark Lord's forces?" asked Mad Eye Moody, from across the table.
"At the moment, I don't know," Mavet admitted. "Probably planning to wage a war on Hell; a fight that will prove utterly pointless and futile, unless I retrieve the weapon that is empowering Lucifer's forces."
"What does this weapon of his do, anyways?" asked Arthur Weasley from several seats down.
Mavet hesitated for a moment. Her gaze suddenly flicked back to Severus, and their eyes met for a brief moment, silently agreeing with each other. "I am afraid that I cannot tell you at this moment in time." Mavet didn't look the slightest bit apologetic.
"What do you mean, you can't tell us?" demanded Kingsley Shacklebolt, as he rose from his seat. "If we're going to try to get it back, we at least have the right to know what it does!"
"Who gives you that right?" demanded Severus, as he, too, rose to his feet. "All that is required of you is to retrieve the weapon if you are able to. It is not a necessity that you know what it does, in order to complete this task."
Apparently, Kingsley couldn't match the combined severity of the two black-clad professors. He sat down abruptly, shut his mouth, and turned to meticulously inspect the floor.
Mavet adjusted her cloak, and joined Severus as he resumed his sitting position, winking at him inconspicuously. "You're such a hypocrite," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
Severus huffed, in exasperation, wearing a look that clearly said 'drop it'.
Suddenly, both Phobos and Deimos cocked their heads, Deimos's tail, creeping around Severus's neck.
No sooner, had Mavet opened her mouth to resume her statement, than the door to Professor Dumbledore's boardroom had burst open, and in stormed the stout, yet very angry figure of Cornelius Fudge. He was flanked by two powerfully built wizards, who, Severus assumed, were aurors. Mundungus Fletcher scrambled to the head of the party, looking flustered and extremely apologetic.
"Dumbledore, they simply stormed in! I tried to stop them, sir, but… but… They threatened me!"
"That's quite alright, Mundungus," Dumbledore assured him, but that was all he could manage before he was interrupted by the rant of the Minister of Magic.
"How dare you continue to hold these secretive meetings behind my back, Dumbledore!" he raged. "What did we talk about?" All of this bullshit about being loyal to the Ministry and our way of life! And for what? And it's not just you that I'm coming down on, Dumbledore," he said, wagging a finger in the headmaster's direction. "All of you," his finger wagged down the line of people sitting at the table, "will pay the same price—"
"Excuse me." Severus stood again, his voice a hissing well of vindictive spite. He stepped threateningly towards the Minister, and the two aurors tensed, expecting an attack. Deimos hissed at the three intruders as well, wriggling his little reptilian tongue at the Minister. The Potions master did no such thing, however, he simply stood his ground and glared menacingly. "How dare you—"
"Severus," Albus warned, and the professor simply glared, refusing to turn away, or glance at his employer; refusing to back down.
"Oh, that's alright, Albus," Fudge continued in mock sweetness. "I'm not afraid of your little Death Eater. Though, you should teach him some respect; he could soon land himself a very cozy cell in Azkaban, if he's not careful." Several people at the table stood, preparing for Severus's defense, Lupin, and the Weasleys included. None were quicker than Mavet, however, who instantly leapt between her agent and his enemy, baring her teeth, and glaring with her mismatched eyes.
"Severus is a much better person than you, Minister, if you must know! You have no right to criticize his past, unless you would like me to criticize your present."
"And who are you to judge a person?" spat Fudge, as his face turned a deep shade of purple.
Mavet grinned, taking her time. She inclined her head threateningly, using her height as an advantage as she towered over Fudge. "The only one who has the authority to judge," she said pleasantly. "The Judge of Heaven, Slayer of Souls. I am Mavet Seraph, and you, Minister, should take caution when you threaten a Lieutenant of mine."
"Lieutenant? Dumbledore, what rubbish is this?" Fudge stared questioningly at the thin man, shrouded in robes of violet.
"You remember the Angel I spoke of."
"You're not serious, Albus! You can't expect me to believe such nonsense."
"Another non-believer, I see," Mavet said dryly as she crossed her arms. "There seem to be many more now than there were a few thousand years ago. You people have no faith." She scanned the line of the table. "In fact, Albus," she continued, "there seem to be many of your own followers who are not convinced of what I am."
"Then why don't you prove us wrong?" instigated Fudge with a sneer.
Mavet sneered right back until, moments later, her face held no physical form. She had become the immense, black, luminous shadow, complete with the six billowing wings and glowing eyes, whose pupils had disappeared.
Phobos dropped through his mistress, to the floor, hissing, as he had been deprived of his former perch. He scampered up to Severus's other shoulder, somewhat peeved.
Severus had braced himself, as well as Dumbledore and McGonagall, but, unlike the rest of the people in the room, he now felt no shuddering, disturbing presence. He felt only warmth, and an immense joy when one of her wings accidentally swept through him. It was like being drunk on happiness, he figured.
The Angel now turned her gaze on the Minister, and a few members of the Order. As you can see, I speak the truth. It is a rare occasion that I would consciously lie to a human. Mavet's voice echoed around the room, causing many people to gape in awe. It was not one voice, but thousands, male, female, some didn't even sound human. It wasn't really a sound, either, Severus realized. It was more like a presence, something that seeped into and around your entire being. You would have heard it if you were deaf, blind, mute, and had your fingers in your ears.
Instantly, she was back in her human form, and many people seemed both relieved and thankful at this fact. Mavet herself, however, appeared winded. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and when she next opened them, she swayed dangerously. "Albus, I…" she began, and then she fainted right into Severus's arms.
Thanks for reading… so now you have to review! I'll keep renting out my chocolate-dipped Sev so long as the reviews keep piling up! C'mon kiddies! I know you wan'em!